Chris Kratzer

Executive Vice President / Wedding Singer

Chris Kratzer began his career like every great researcher—as a reporter at a daily newspaper. Since then, Chris has spent the past decade helping businesses, associations, universities, campaigns, and politicos craft winning strategies. His extensive communications and research experience make him uniquely suited to help take our client’s research out of a spreadsheet and into winning strategies. Chris has worked with hundreds of campaigns and clients across the country, including RAGA, RSLC, U.S. Senate, Congressional, and gubernatorial campaigns. Chris is married and has three children, plays in a band, and provides comic relief for his adult rec-league soccer team.

Do you have any skills or talents that people don’t know about?
In addition to my day job, I've been a professional musician for 17 years and played gigs all over the U.S. (and one unfortunately timed gig in Central Asia) Most of my experience has been playing bass guitar and drums, but I also play guitar, ukulele, cello, double bass, piano, trombone, tuba, baritone, euphonium, trumpet, and cajon.

What was your first job?
Inspecting and servicing fire sprinkler and suppression systems.

If I were a superhero, my superpower would be…
Time travel seems to be the obvious answer here, but I worry about the responsibility of not messing up the space-time continuum.

The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is…
After undergrad, I started working at the Montgomery Advertiser, the daily newspaper of record in Alabama, as a reporter. My first assignment led me to an interview with the late former Auburn University football coach Pat Dye about last-minute Christmas shopping. It was this interview where I was given one of the most important pieces of advice I ever received—“When in doubt, give them bourbon.” I attribute 82% of my personal success to this piece of sage wisdom.

Posts Featuring Chris

POLL: Republicans Continue to Grow Momentum in Lead Up to Election Day

WASHINGTON D.C. — A survey of 2,015 likely midterm voters, conducted by the international polling and predictive analytics firm Cygnal, shows the GOP leading the generic ballot by 3 points headed into the final week of the midterm cycle.

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Poll: Ukrainians Are Extremely Stressed, Want More Aid, Desire to Return, but Mixed on Being Part of NATO

A new nationwide poll of Ukraine released today shows Ukrainians are experiencing extraordinary stress amid the Russian invasion and would like protective and offensive weapons, as well as financial and humanitarian aid—the majority, however, no longer see a no-fly zone as a top priority. The joint Cygnal and Gradus poll surveyed 1,000 Ukrainians and included those currently in Ukraine and those who have left the country.

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Poll: Republicans Hold Generic Ballot as Economic and Inflation Concerns Grow

A new Cygnal poll released today in North Carolina shows Republicans with a 6-point lead on the generic ballot as voters are reeling from high gas prices and record inflation. More than four-in-ten respondents indicated “addressing inflation and the rising cost of living” or “rebuilding our economy and creating good jobs” should be a top priority for congress.

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Cygnal Poll: Florida Voters Approve of DeSantis’ Handling of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Vaccine Distribution

WASHINGTON D.C. – A survey of 800 likely general election voters in Florida, conducted by the national survey research and polling firm Cygnal, shows that Floridians overwhelmingly approve of Governor DeSantis’ handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine distribution and don’t trust the media to report it fairly.  The statewide Cygnal survey, which was conducted […]

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Cygnal Poll: Legislators’ Jobs Turned Upside Down by COVID-19, Polling & Technology Prove Invaluable for Advocacy Outreach

WASHINGTON D.C. – A survey of 325 state lawmakers and staff, conducted by the national survey research and polling firm Cygnal, shows that COVID-19 has had a big impact on the business of legislating. Despite the pandemic, however, the best way to capture a legislator’s attention is still through their constituents.  The nationwide Cygnal survey […]

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Bo Staples–Pulse Pod 13

This week on the Cygnal Pulse Pod (Ep. 13), Brent Buchanan and Chris Kratzer begin by discussing what issue work looks like for lobbyists as they may not be allowed in the building to meet with legislators in the same way they have before. Polling can be the key to “get in the door.”

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Felix Cao–Pulse Pod 12

This week on the Cygnal Pulse Pod (Ep. 12), Brent Buchanan and Chris Kratzer examine the influence voter emotions had in the 2020 election and talk about the state of the polling industry after this week’s results.

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Poll shows Holcomb with comfortable lead in Indiana governor race

“Indiana voters are slightly more concerned about Covid’s public health impact than the economic effects — a reminder that voters in conservative states are still very conscious of the public health dangers that the virus poses,” Chris Kratzer, vice president of research and analysis at Cygnal, said in a prepared statement.  by Chris Sikich | Indianapolis […]

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Liesl Hickey–Pulse Pod 11

A few days before the 2020 US general elections, Brent Buchanan and Chris Kratzer discuss how this election has more in common with a past election than most realize and what campaigns should be doing in the final days leading up to November 3rd.

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Cygnal Poll: Indiana Governor Holcomb Up 18 Points in Re-election Bid

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb is cruising to an easy re-election, according to a poll conducted by Cygnal, a national polling and survey research firm. Cygnal’s poll shows Holcomb with a commanding lead over Democratic challenger Woody Myers, just days ahead of the November 3rd election.  “The unique circumstances of the 2016 gubernatorial […]

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